Jialan gently smiled and extended her hand in invitation, while Hokele subtly adjusted his collar and followed her into the monastery.
The old nun shut the heavy door, seemingly isolating them from the secular world.
Jialan led Hokele along the stone corridor of the monastery, introducing, "Your Majesty, please observe, this is the Austerity Garden, the place where the sisters of the Austerity Fellowship regularly offer their prayers."
Hokele looked at the empty Austerity Garden, a patch of green grass, neither too large nor too small, surrounded by three thorn bushes as tall as a human. At a glance, Hokele seemed to feel a bitterness rise from deep within his heart, with even the sunlight seeming to dim. It was the hidden power left by the nuns of the Austerity Fellowship here, yet it was soon suppressed with the thump of his heart.
Jialan maintained her smile, but for a moment, her beautiful eyes seemed to sweep across Hokele's eyes unintentionally.
